Certificate in Advanced Professional Counseling (CAPC)

Who is this certificate for?

The Certificate in Advanced Professional Counseling is designed for any student with a completed masters degree in counseling who desires to pursue licensure. Students who complete our Master of Arts in Counseling (52 credit hours) often enroll in the CAPC Program (10 credit hours) after graduation.

Entry requirements for this certificate?

Prospective students must have a completed MA in Counseling with a minimum grade point average of 3.0. Any person seeking entry into the CAPC must also complete an application which includes providing copies of transcripts from accredited graduate degree granting institutions. See application for more information.

Entry into the program after successful application is based on the following criteria: Priority consideration is given to graduates of BTS’s MAC program, then to those needing the core CAPC courses (10 total credits) as space is available. Prospective CAPC students may need to enroll in some of the core and/or advanced counseling (non-fieldwork) courses within our MA program. If space is available (there is a cap on non-cohort students in each core course), CAPC students may be able to have these courses included in their CAPC.

Application for this certificate is open each semester. For all CAPC courses (except clinical instruction / fieldwork), please complete the CAPC application within our online application system.

Additional Requirements for Students Needing Fieldwork Hours:

Should prospective CAPC students also need to enroll in BTS’s fieldwork courses and complete the requisite practicum and internship experiences (i.e., MAC 520, 600, and 610), they will need to provide the following:

Evidence of completion of a course equivalent to MAC 510, Helping Relationships AND a mock video of their counseling skills to be reviewed. (You and Your Counselee must complete this Video Consent Form and submit it with the video).

A positive reference by a faculty member from their graduate institution explaining why they did not complete fieldwork at this institution (e.g., none available) and that they would heartily endorse the student as fit for clinical practice.

Criminal and child abuse background checks for your state.

Obtain liability insurance (1mil/1mil) or provide a copy of your current personal liability insurance. If you need liability insurance click here and apply for either mental health counselor or clergy/pastoral counselor (your preference based on population you are counseling).

The counseling department may require a live mock counseling session (done with the director) to further evaluate the student’s readiness for fieldwork. Those students with skill deficits may be first required to take MAC 510 prior to enrollment in MAC 520, 600, and/or 610. Those students accepted into these courses recognize that BTS does not guarantee field placements as all students are responsible to procure field sites meeting BTS’s minimum criteria.

The design of BTS’s Certificate in Advanced Counseling program allows exposure to variety of counseling topics, with focus on practical application and higher-order thinking skills. I'm really impressed by the dedication and care for the students, and the way instructors shepherd to teach shepherding, and counsel to teach counseling.

Note: There are additional application requirements to complete in order to register for these courses and to accrue fieldwork hours.

* BTS welcomes online students from outside of Pennsylvania. Different states have various authorization requirements for institutions offering distance education to their residents. BTS cannot register students in online courses who live in certain states. Please email
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for more information.

What are the requirements for licensure in PA?

The primary license for master’s level counselors in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) credential (enacted in 1998). To obtain this license, individuals need to complete 60 graduate hours in a counseling related program of study, 3000 hours of postgraduate supervised work, and pass a national counseling exam. Details can be found on our Licensure page.

Please note that the practice and testing requirements for licensure will be the student’s responsibility after graduation. While BTS makes every effort to stay abreast of licensing changes, our primary goal is to train and educate wise, godly counselors for kingdom work. Those seeking licensure in their jurisdiction need to take personal responsibility to ensure that BTS’s program meets their needs.

"I'm so glad I did the Certificate in Advanced Professional Counseling after completing my MA in Counseling. It was wonderfully life-changing as well as mind and soul altering. I am so appreciative for the BTS professors and the challenges to learn."